Writes a young man from Virginia: “I believe I discovered your website through a link from www.seattlecatholic.com. Among your columnists, I am particularly a great fan of Thomas Woods, and I thank you for giving him a forum to express his well-crafted arguments. Indeed, I am very grateful that I have found in your website a convergence of so many wonderful ideas. It seems providential to me that so many worthy causes have converged in one place.
“That convergence appears to have taken place in my life in a parallel way. Allow me to explain. I am the great-great-grandson of a private in the 28th North Carolina Regiment during the Civil War. Being a product of American public schools, I always thought that the War Between the States was essentially fought over slavery. Still, I knew that my great-great-grandfather was not fighting for the right to hold slaves because he was a simple farmer who most likely could not even afford slaves. My understanding was that he was fighting for the right of his state to secede. I once thought that this was hardly a worthy cause, and though I was proud of my great-great-grandfather, I wondered for which side I would have fought had I been in his shoes.
“However, after reading the columns of Thomas DiLorenzo and others on your website, and after attending the Lincoln Reconsidered conference in the capital of the Confederacy, there is little doubt in my mind that my ancestor came down on the right side. I also realize that the cause he stood for is a cause that must not be forgotten in the modern world. This realization has affected my understanding of modern American politics and has caused me to take great pride in my Southern heritage.
“Richmond is the place where I fell in love with the Tridentine Mass. That Mass (which, as you know, Thomas Woods champions with great efficacy) altered my understanding of the Roman Catholic faith, which, in turn, has altered my worldview. There is an anachronism to the Tridentine Mass that runs counter to our modern culture (or lack thereof) and directs us to simpler times, when simpler ways were sufficient for the happiness of mankind. It is this simplicity that seems to be the common bond between my traditional Catholic beliefs and my Confederate heritage.
“LewRockwell.com seems to be a place e where this same simplicity is championed. There, as in my own life, I recognize the convergence of traditional Catholic intellectualism combined with a distinctly Southern brand of libertarianism. Your website remains an island of reason in a sea of madness, and I look to it daily for a dose of sanity. I thank you for giving it to the world.
“I too am trying to give something back and contribute to the cause. In this my 25th year of life, I have discerned a possible calling to the Roman Catholic priesthood. I will be entering Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, NE, on August 23, 2003. As you may know, this is the North American seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter , which has been given permission by the Pope to celebrate the pre-Vatican II rites exclusively. Like my great-great-grandfather, I have decided that the time has come to lay down my life for the glory of God, for the protection of His people, and for the preservation of His justice. I pray that I will have the courage to persevere. I ask you and your associates to pray for me, as well. I will certainly be praying for the continued success of your website. If you or anyone you know would like to sponsor a Confederate, libertarian, traditional Catholic seminarian to help offset the cost of tuition, I would be deeply grateful. FYI, all donations made to the seminary are tax-deductible.”
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